Blood and Dreams: Entering Nightmares
by Dragon and Sword Master
Summary: When people sleep...they dream. However, for three young youths, these dreams...these nightmares, are where their adventures truly unfold. Follow Naruto and his allies into the mysterious world of Nightopia.
1. Chapter 1

Dragon and Sword Master: I would like to thank Zeromaru Chaos Mode for his ideas and help when it comes to this story, without him, half of this story wouldn't be as good as it is.

Fans of my other stories please don't fret for I will work on SoaK and Keyblade Master as well as this, but the idea came into my mind after watching a Let's Play of Nights into Dreams and Nights: Journey of Dreams and it just festered. This may not be as awesome or awe-inspiring as my other Naruto based stories, but I want to do this all the same. Before you go on this adventure into the new and crazy idea I have, I just need to ask you one thing: Are you ready to ride with the Devil? (Anyone who gets the reference gets a virtual cookie!)

* * *

Blood and Dreams: Entering Nightmares  
First Night: Kyuubi, Naruto and the Everlasting Nightmare

A man stood on a rocky hillside overlooking his handiwork. The giant fox with nine blood colored tails dwarfed the forest that hid the ninja village known as Konohagakure. Even if he would never see the village or his kinsmen…no, he had no kinsmen, not anymore. After they banished him, he forsook the Uchiha namesake. Now he was only Maadara, or Tobi, and with the orange mask that spiraled endlessly, he watched his former village consumed by his hatred.

He was glad to see that by controlling the Kyuubi, he was able to complete his plan that would bring Konoha to its knees and plummet into obscurity. He watched as countless shinobi, both male and female try to attack the great and majestic beast, laughing as they threw away their lives.

"That's right Kyuubi! Bring my rage down upon this village! Let them know just why they should not have banished Maadara Uchiha from the history books! Show them, Kyuubi!" He yelled, shouting the last part out as he forced more of his will onto the demon fox in front of him. He then started laughing, as the trees that all natives of Konoha praised for their defenses did nothing to slow down the demon fox in front of them. If only he knew that plans were in motion to stop all of this. If he knew that, then he would have done more than just sit and watch the wreckage occur so wantonly. If only he knew…

* * *

"You can't be serious...Minato, if you do this, who would look after your son? As much as I want to, I can't be leading my spy network and keeping an eye on a newborn baby. Plus I have several enemies…I know you want to see your Kushina again, especially after she died fighting that man and giving birth to Naruto, but don't let her sacrifice be in vain!" Jiraiya shouted to his pupil, the Yondaime, as he finished writing a seal in ink on the newborn boy's stomach, said boy squirming at the cold feeling radiating from the ink placed on his stomach.

"Jiraiya-sensei…," Minato started, as he continued placing the final markings of the seal on Naruto's stomach, but Jiraiya wasn't finished yet, and quickly interrupted him to continue.

"As much as I wish it also, Tsunade-hime would rather start dating Orochimaru-teme before even thinking of placing one foot near this place. Even if you asked her to take care of your son, I don't think she would, seeing as he would remind her too much of Konoha and the things that she lost." Jiraiya said as Minato finished the last detail on the intricate seal, the seal that would save Konoha at the cost of his life and the humanity of his son. He wished deep down in his heart that the villagers would befriend Naruto, make him feel like a hero for what he will be doing, but he was not naïve. He knew his people would betray his final words and not treat his son like a hero.

"I know sensei…I know," Minato said with a tired voice, picking Naruto up and turning towards his sensei and long-time friend. "What else can I do? If I can't do it myself, then who will? Even if someone else activated the seal in my place…I wouldn't be able to sleep at night, my conscious wouldn't let me. I'm sorry sensei…this is something that only I, myself, can do." Minato said, as he gave Jiraiya three pieces of parchment paper, each of them sealed in an envelope that would allow only the attended person to open them.

"Minato…"

"The first one is for Sarutobi-sama. It is a request for him to take up the mantle of Hokage once again as well as my final requests for Naruto to be seen as a hero by the public and that no matter what happened, under no circumstance should he be put under the care of Danzo, among other things." Minato then looked down at his son and rocked him back and forth slowly. "The second letter is for my student, Kakashi. I know that with the deaths of Rin and Obito, my death will be a big blow to his psyche. I want him to know that I do what I'm doing with a heavy heart, and I hope that he can forgive this man and not take it out on my Naruto. It is my greatest hope that Kakashi will see Naruto as a little brother."

"And the third?"

"The third is for Naruto when he's older. I want you to hold onto his letter until he becomes sixteen or Chunin, whichever comes first. Until then, I want you to hold onto it. It mentions several things about Kushina and me, about the Rasengan and Hiraishin, as well as a personal note to Naruto explaining what I'm about to do, and why I'm doing it. Sarutobi-sama also knows that you have Naruto-kun's letter and I asked him to let Naruto know that he had parents, and that they loved him very very much. Now then, please…take those to Sarutobi-sama and Kakashi. And sensei?" He asked, Jiraiya turning around.

"Yes Minato?"

"Thank you…for everything. Farewell," He said before using a shushin to vanish onto the battlefield. The only evidence that showed he was there were the various amounts of paper showing the seal that both student and teacher worked on for the past days. Now, it was going to be put into action. Jiraiya left the office with a shushin of his own, going to find both Sarutobi and Kakashi.

* * *

Kyuubi was standing in front of the strong wooden doors that housed Konoha, the great symbol of the leaf decorating the center and guarding it from outside intruders. Behind the great beast, several bodies wearing headbands bearing the symbol of the great village it was trying to break into. Each body lay on the path in a mangled heap, some bodies torn at the waist, while others had heads taken off, or an arm and a leg. One body had three puncture wounds in the body, easily caving in the chest cavity and piercing the heart and the lungs, making the female it belonged to bleed out quickly.

Bellowing out in rage, the demon fox raised its colossal tails high above its head before sending each individual tail thundering down upon the protective structure in front of it. The wood creating the door creaked and groaned under the pressure. The Kyuubi stepped closer to the doors and raised its mighty tails once again in order to attack the structure a second time. However, before the creature could get any tails down to attack the door for a second time, something grabbed its tails and pulled. This brought a mighty roar from the fox as something pulled the fox back to where it started, at the beginning of the forest, before jumping after him, his tanto posed to strike.

* * *

"No!" Maadara shouted out as he saw the Fourth Hokage summon a toad that not only matched the fox's size, but also able to pull him back from the walls of Konohagakure. The beast was so close to destroying the protection of Konoha before heading into the village and razing it to the ground. However, when that amphibian pulled the fox back by his tails, Maadara actually growled, the pitch of the growl growing as the toad jumped towards the fox. Over the noise of the fox, no one heard him. He scowled before making a retreat, not knowing nor caring to what happened to the Bijuu now that his plans failed. He would have to think of something else altogether before even starting to think of burning Konoha to the ground.

_Someday you will fall into the hands of Death Konoha, someday,_ the insane man thought as he reappeared back in the place that he called home for the last several years. He then closed his eyes for a few seconds before he was lost in a dream of where he was the rightful ruler of Konohagakure, not realizing that two onlookers were in the sky watching, savoring the dream energy that he was creating. Unfortunately, this mortal only had one flowing crystal around him, which irked the two onlookers greatly, seeing as they could only bleed so much Dream Energy from this man after all.

They stayed there gathering as much energy as they could, noticing that the human's Ideya of Intelligence grew just a tad duller.

* * *

"Minato-kun, whatever you're about to do, do it quickly, I don't think I can hold the Kyuubi off for much longer!" Gamabunta shouted as Minato stood on top of the boss toad summon, staying glued to the spot by channeling chakra to his feet. Minato didn't respond as he focused on the fuinjutsu. Even one incorrect seal could cause the whole sealing jutsu to end in disastrous results, not just for Minato, but also for Naruto and Gamabunta as well. After finishing the jutsu, Minato held the last hand seal in place before looking at the fox demon in front of him with eyes bent on determination.

"Shiki Fuin!" Minato shouted as an image of a shinigami appeared behind Minato. Furthermore, the seal that Minato wrote on his son's abdominal also started to glow a light blue color as Minato's chakra within the ink activated. The spectral form went through Minato before plunging the blade into Kyuubi, causing the fox to start fighting in fear as it felt its soul being ripped apart. Roaring in extreme pain, the Kyuubi thrashed its tails as it tried everything in its power to stop the shinigami, several craters instantly forming as several shinobi and kunoichi used whatever means necessary to get away from the beast. It was, however, too late for the Kyuubi as the shinigami held its soul on the edge of its knife before transferring the sphere of crimson energy into his hand.

He then placed the crimson sphere on top of the seal that was on Naruto's stomach. As the seal accepted the crimson energy that was the Kyuubi's youki, the process of both human chakra and demonic youki caused the young boy to wake up and start crying. Minato smiled sadly, as he looked upon his boy one last time as the shinigami came through Minato's body once more, taking his soul with him before he left. With Gamabunta vanishing after Minato completed the sealing technique, it would mean that both Naruto and Minato's body would have hit the ravaged earth hard, most likely killing Naruto. However, that did not happen as Gamabunta was summoned once again, this time Jiraiya standing on top of his head.

"I got you little guy, don't worry," Jiraiya said as he caught Naruto, moving his arms downward to negate the momentum of the fall. He quickly created a clone to do the same for Minato's body, knowing that his student would do the same thing if the roles were reversed. Sighing lightly, he looked at the little guy in his hands, wishing that it were him lying on Gamabunta's back lifeless instead of his apprentice, especially since he had so much to live for. He quickly shook his head to rid himself of those negative thoughts.

**Jiraiya…**

"I'm sorry for summoning you right after you returned to the summoning world after Minato-kun's death but I couldn't…

**It's all right Jiraiya-kun; I understand…Minato was well respected at Mount Myoboku by all of the toads. Even more than you, I think…**Gamabunta said, causing Jiraiya to slouch lightly at the news that the toads respected his apprentice more so than the original holder of the contract. As he got down from Gamabunta and let the grand toad take his leave, he saw his sensei standing in front of him.

"Sensei…I couldn'-"

"You don't need to explain yourself Jiraiya-kun; I know you tried everything within your power to make him change his mind so that he could be there for young Naruto," this is when Sarutobi's frown grew. "He also asked me to place Naruto in an orphanage," at this statement, Jiraiya's eyes bulged out.

"B-but why?! I could certainly take him as my apprentice or I bet I could find Tsu-hime and…" He started saying hysterically, not remembering what he said to Minato moments ago before his sensei looked at him with saddened eyes.

"I'm afraid that won't work, and while I agree with your offer of taking young Naruto here with you, I have a feeling that the Civilian Council would negate your offer. They would state that with you just starting your spy network, it would be too hard for you to juggle both caring for Naruto and taking care of your network. Naturally, I would usually ignore them in manners like this, but there's also the Shinobi Council as well. Most likely, each member would claim a reason as to why he or she would want to adopt the young boy to benefit him, while secretly benefiting the clan he was adopted into. Especially Danzo, who would want to take Naruto and train him into an emotionless shinobi, and we both know that he would send shinobi after you in order to try and take him," Sarutobi said as Jiraiya sadly nodded, knowing that his sensei was right. He didn't have to like it, but he knew that the Professor was right.

Jiraiya handed Naruto to Sarutobi carefully, making sure the young baby was held securely in his sensei's hands before vanishing in a shushin, knowing that if he stayed he would do something that he would later regret. Sarutobi, unfortunately, didn't have time to deal with his student as survivors started trickling out of their homes, wanting to know what had happened to the fox, as well as their loved ones and the village that they lived in. As they gathered around the wreckage, Sarutobi sighed lightly to himself before quickly using a small jutsu on himself to amplify his voice so that everyone in the vicinity could hear him.

"My people, we have come through a terrible travesty and witnessed what nature, herself, can vent upon us. However, Konoha and her loyal protectors proved to be the stronger fighter in today's battle, and have killed the Kyuubi!" Sarutobi shouted, waiting for the small to settle in. Once it did, he heard several shouts of celebration and happiness that the attack was finally finished. Sarutobi waited for the shouts to die down before continuing, "However, the price for our victory was high…today we have also lost a great leader, as well as a great friend. It is with great sorrow that I must inform the people of Konoha that Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage, perished in the fight against the great beast Kyuubi."

At this, anyone still grinning or happy about the news of the Kyuubi's death instantly evaporated at the sound of their Yondaime Hokage perishing. One of the females in the crowd standing close to the reappointed Sandaime Hokage noticed a small baby within his hands.

"Hokage-sama, who's that?"

Sarutobi looked down at the sleeping blonde for a few seconds, knowing that what he said now would make him either the hero and prince of Konoha or the scapegoat of Konoha. As such, Sarutobi took a few minutes to choose his words carefully.

"This child...is a survivor. He survived having his parents torn from him just a few seconds after his birth...not only is he a survivor, but Konoha's saving grace. Without him, our shinobi forces would still be battling the Kyuubi as we speak, trying to protect our home," Sarutobi said, hoping that the villagers would see Naruto as the savior that he claimed him to be. ANBU quickly rushed in and protected their leader as people started shouting for the child's death, misinterpreting what the old Hokage just said. Sarutobi looked upon his people with sadness before he and his ANBU vanished in several uses of shushin.

* * *

Sarutobi looked down at the sleeping newborn as he sighed before looking back to his desk with a blank scroll in front of him. Next to the scroll was the letter that Minato left for him laying open. He growled lightly at Minato's actions and words. Minato **knew**. He knew that the village was going to hate his son, so he put in a few safeguards in the seal that would protect both his son and Konoha, implanting a small portion of his soul into the seal, among others. He also knew that the Kyuubi wasn't at fault and claimed that someone with an orange mask was controlling her. However, the thing that bothered him the most was that Minato wanted his son to be put either under his student, Hatake Kakashi, or in an orphanage. The thing that made it worse was the fact that Sarutobi understood the reasoning behind both decisions. He was about to write down when one of his ANBUs came in, somewhat distracting the reappointed Hokage from his current headache and giving him another one.

"Inu-san, please, take off your mask. There are several things that we need to talk about, things that are of a personal matter, not business," Sarutobi stated as Inu reached a gloved hand up and behind his head, placing chakra on a certain spot behind his head which made his mask able to come off. Moving the same hand up the front of his face, he removed the ANBU mask from his face and placed it on his belt, the chakra seal on both his belt and the mask resonating, letting the mask hang there without the risk of it falling off. Once the mask was off, the slanted forehead protector showed into view, covering the prized possession that made Inu known as "Sharingan no Kakashi".

"This is…this is about my sensei's son, isn't it?" Kakashi asked, standing a little bit straighter as the Hokage nodded. He then picked up the sleeping baby and held him so that Kakashi could see the child.

"Kakashi…I asked you here…for a favor. I want to put young Naruto into an orphanage," The Hokage paused and held up his hand, requesting that Kakashi not speak for a few minutes. "I know full well that you can take care of both you and himself should the villagers…no, when the villagers try to attack him for surviving the Kyuubi's attack, at least that is what the villagers will think and what I will tell them, to continue the story I already started.

"B-but sir!" Kakashi exclaimed, knowing the truth behind the event.

"I know the truth, and you know the truth, but Kakashi, what do you think the people would do with the truth?" Sarutobi asked as Kakashi stared at the man with his one uncovered eye and sighed lightly.

"I understand. You do realize that I'm going to do what I think is right, even if the Council thinks otherwise?" Kakashi asked as Sarutobi nodded, knowing that Naruto would need at least someone to protect him.

"I'll do what I can to protect him from politics, but there is only so much I can do for him Kakashi. What I cannot do, I know you will do it for me in my place. Am I correct at assuming this?" the old man asked as Kakashi nodded. "Good. You're dismissed Inu-san, thank you for listening to the ramblings of an old man," he said, as Kakashi took the mask off his belt and replaced it on his face. Both knew that the decisions they made today and in the years to come would shape how Naruto saw Konoha…for better, or for worse. He then turned back towards the blank scroll in his hand and started writing new laws that he would have to enact; laws that would protect Naruto from some of the things that the villagers would most likely come up with to make the newborn's life a living hell. He brought his hand to his face and rubbed his temples. _I'm too old for this shit…it's why I retired in the first place, _the old man thought to himself and sighed again, knowing that in the coming days a lot of things would be changing; some for the better and some for the worse.

* * *

As people slept peacefully, they dreamed…or that's how it used to be. However, ever since the Kyuubi's attack, no one had peaceful dreams, not anymore. Whether it was by fighting the great beast or hearing that one of their loved ones perished, several, if not all, people in Konohagakure had nightmares based around the Kyuubi.

"Ugh, why is that second level excuse for a Nightmaren getting all the attention? It's not like she actually did anything," the red jester said, scowling at coming from another dreamscape that had nothing but the Dreamer running away from the giant fox, while another was battling it. The jester scowled, remembering how he saw a new color of Ideya and yet couldn't claim any dream energy from it.

"-ala, Reala!" his partner finally shouted into his ear. Reala swatted his partner away annoyed.

"Damnit Nights, don't do that!" Reala exclaimed as he placed the gathered dream energy into a container on his thigh, before sealing it shut with a wave of his hand. He was curious as to why he couldn't take any energy from the crimson colored Ideya.

"Alright fine, be that way," Nights said, annoyed at his brother as he headed off into what seemed like an older and decaying dream sphere, almost making Nights think that this Dreamer almost made it out of his dream/nightmare and into Nightopia, but that was impossible. No Dreamer could. He then entered the dream sphere and found himself in an…office? That seemed like the right word for it. He then saw an old man sitting at a desk, but Nights could tell that whatever was concerning this old man wasn't on the desk, but to the side of him, in a crib. Curiosity piquing his interest, he leaned over and stared into the crib before he felt something pass through him. Looking to the wall, he saw several sharp objects placed on the far wall. The information of what those were instantly entered his mind. _No way…did he see me? How?_ The purple jester thought to himself before deciding to leave, making a mental note to come back to study this Dreamer later. He then exited the dream sphere with a scowl on his face, which Reala noticed instantly.

"I'm heading back to Father…something of great interest has just happened," Nights said before disappearing. Reala scowled lightly, wanting to continue and ask Nights what happened, but if something spooked Nights then it had to be something quite interesting.

* * *

Sarutobi was huffing for a few seconds after he threw the kunai. Whatever it was that tried attacking Naruto must have been a trick of the light…especially when the kunai he threw went through the shadow-like apparition and into the wall. _I must be more tired than I thought I was…_the old man said to himself before sighing lightly and rubbed his tired eyes, deciding on taking a small break from all of the paperwork, deciding on taking a small walk through the village. Getting up, he sensed the two ANBUs protecting him coming to attention before he moved over to pick the baby up. Knowing what he was about to do, he mentally prepared himself and made a vow to do whatever he could for Naruto.

~*~Timeskip: 5 years later~*~

Uzumaki Naruto woke up in a cold sweat for the fourth time this week, suppressing the sound that wanted to escape from his lungs. The reason he was suppressing it? He learned the hard way that any loud sounds that he made during the night weren't met with a feminine voice soothing away the fears. However, they were met with the harsh reality of a gag to seal off his yells and cries the first time he awoke from such a nightmare.

_That same nightmare…just like all the others_, the blonde boy thought to himself as he looked up at the drab ceiling in front of him, thinking back on the nightmare he just woke up from. Calming down, he focused on what he remembered of it, lightly biting on his lip as he suppressed a growl.

_I remember closing my eyes and falling asleep, hopefully getting away from the nightmare that I live throughout my daily life. At first, this place seems like heaven. Grass everywhere, people actually being nice to me and there's not a cloud in the sky. I can walk through Konoha without having to fear what will happen to me…at least in the beginning. However…it's when I get back to the orphanage, hoping that someone will finally adopt me…that's when everything turns into a nightmare. The people who have smiles on their faces turn into frowns and start coming after me. After that…I woke up_ Naruto thought to himself as he finally calmed down. However, he knew that he couldn't go back to sleep, not after a nightmare such as that.

Naruto carefully made his way towards the window, making sure to keep silent, listening for any sounds that were not his own. After hearing nothing for several minutes, the boy slowly opened the window and climbed out of the window and onto a nearby tree branch. Before heading towards the ground and the freedom that the night provided Naruto, the boy turned around and carefully closed the window to where there was only a fraction of an inch left open. Naruto turned back around and soon felt the soft earth underneath his feet, causing the boy to let out a small sigh of relief. He started walking around Konoha, letting the crisp night air work its magic on him. He didn't have a destination in mind, but just let his feet move on their own. As his feet were doing this, his mind tried working on the reason he was having the same dream repeatedly.

After a while, Naruto found himself upon the Hokage Summit. Once there, he closed his eyes and let everything else around him consume him. The sounds and touch of the night appealed to him and he stood there, letting it consume him. He was so calm and at peace that he didn't realize he had company.

"Couldn't sleep Naruto-kun?" Sarutobi asked, causing Naruto to jump slightly in surprise. He turned and stared at the elderly man for a few seconds before nodding. "Same one?" He asked softly once he got closer to Naruto, seeing the boy nod again.

"I don't get it Jiji…why am I having these nightmares?" the boy asked as he bit back a sob. Before Sarutobi could answer, Naruto asked more questions. "Why do the villagers hate me? Call me names? Make it so I can't have a family? Why Jiji? Why?" Naruto asked as the floodgates finally let open, the boy's tears cascading down his face as the night sky hid the image from the old man's vision. As Sarutobi saw this, he was at war with himself. On one hand, he could tell Naruto everything he knew: his heritage, the Kyuubi, everything. On the other hand, he could just sit back, just listen to the crying boy with an open heart, and lie to him saying that he didn't know anything. Both sides fought for a few minutes before they both agreed on something; Naruto trusted him. That was when his mind was made up.

"Naruto?" Sarutobi asked softly, but Naruto heard his voice all the same and turned towards it. "I can't answer all of your questions, but I know the answer as to why," he said as the Hokage noticed he had Naruto's full attention now. "This is an S ranked secret and if you tell anyone of this, I will be forced to brand you as a traitor to this village, understand Naruto?" He asked as Naruto nodded, and gave a positive answer after Sarutobi asked for one. "Five years ago when the Kyuubi attacked, I had to tell the village a lie. I told them that the Yondaime Hokage defeated and killed the Kyuubi in order to save the village and that you were a lucky survivor. The actual truth is that he sealed it away. In spite of this the only thing that is capable enough to hold the beast's massive power was a small infant born that day," Sarutobi said as he was interrupted with a gasp from the young boy.

"Does that mean…what I think it means? That I am the Fox Demon?" Naruto asked, looking down and ashamed. He wished that he didn't know after all then, but Sarutobi spoke once again.

"No. You are not the Kyuubi no Yoko, just Uzumaki Naruto and let no one else tell you differently," Sarutobi said as he noticed that Naruto still didn't believe him before an idea came to him. "Naruto, you've seen how the ANBU work, right?" he asked as Naruto nodded. "You know how all ANBU members are issued a katana, and a sheathe to protect themselves from the blade when they wear it. You are the sheathe, Naruto, and the Kyuubi is the katana. They're two separate things but can be used to both defend and attack. Understand?"

"I understand Jiji, thanks," he said, before yawning lightly as the five-year-old finally starting getting tired again. Sarutobi shook his head and chuckled lightly. Sometimes the boy could act several times older than he really was and other times he acted his age. He soon noticed that Naruto had fallen asleep once again.

* * *

Dragon and Sword Master: And thus ends the first chapter of Blood and Dreams: Eternal Nightmares, shortened by the Acronym: BaD:EN. Anyways, tell me what you guys think of the first chapter of this and if I should continue with the story or delete it.

Yugito: Once again, we would like to thank Zeromaru for helping with fleshing out the idea and making this first chapter a reality. Without him or his views on some of these matters, this would still be an idea stuck in Ryu-kun's head, as empty as it is.

Dragon and Sword Master: Hey! Anyways, people who know of the Nights into Dreams saga: Nights **will be a villain** for some time. The reason is that this is **BEFORE THE FIRST GAME ON THE SEGA SATURN**! All I ask is that people do not flame me because of this. Thank you.

On to a more serious note, and if I may be so bold to say this, as a writer I would like to know what you as readers thought of this story. Even if it's as simple as a "good chapter" or "good start," I would like to see what you gentlemen and ladies thought of the premiere of BaD:EN.

Thank you,

Dragon and Sword Master


	2. Chapter 2

Dragon and Sword Master: I must say that I am floored by the positive feedback given to me by you readers, thank you. Even if I've only gotten a few reviews, a lot of people added this story to their favorite story and story alert lists, for which I am thankful. While I would like to see what you readers think of this story, I am just glad that there are people actually reading this story. Once again, I would like to thank Zeromaru Chaos Mage for help with my ideas and looking over the chapter.

Yugito: Just in case some of you missed the ending notes of the First Night, Nights **will be a villain **for some time, just like Ryu-kun stated. He is, however, unsure as to if Nights will be redeemed or not. As further—

Dragon and Sword Master: *puts his hand over her mouth* Alright Neko-hime, enough from you. Any more info and they'll have future knowledge and I can't have that. You understand, right?

Yugito: *nods*

Dragon and Sword Master: *takes hand away from Yugito's mouth* Now then, I would like to say that I own Nightopia, but I figure the nightmares I would get from saying as such wouldn't be worth it, nor would dealing with Reala. Naruto and Nights stuff is copyrighted to their original authors as I am just combining and adding my imagination…for better or for worse. Now onto the story!

* * *

Blood and Dreams: Eternal Nightmares

Second Night: Meetings, Adoption and the First Friend

Naruto woke up in his bed and looked around for a few moments, curious as to how he got back here. However, he couldn't think about it for long before one of the staff came into his room.

"Oh good, you're up," he said in an emotionless tone. Even though there was no emotion attached to his voice, Naruto could see the anger hidden in his eyes as the man closed the door.

"Bastard," Naruto muttered as he got out of the ratty mattress that they made him call a bed and stretched lightly in order to get the kinks out. Getting out a clean set of clothes that he…borrowed from the laundry room, Naruto headed to the closest bathroom available and quickly did his morning routine. Once cleaned and dressed, he exited and walked straight into the matron.

"Stupid brat!" she exclaimed as Naruto quickly got back up from falling on his rear end and scowled at her. "I thought you would be getting out of there soon. An ANBU told me that he was here to escort you to Hokage-sama. You didn't do anything you shouldn't have, right?" she asked with a certain look in her eye that said to tell her or else.

"No ma'am, nothing happened," he said quickly before moving past her and out towards the entrance area where he saw the ANBU member waiting patiently for him with his hands in his pockets. Once Naruto got closer, he grinned when he saw that it was one of his two favorite ANBUs and rushed to get towards the male shinobi.

Kakashi grinned behind his masks as Naruto glomped him. Of course, Kakashi was ready for him, but it always made the young man happy to see the boy. Once Naruto let go of him, Kakashi kneeled down and ruffled his hair just a little.

"Inu-san, must you do that?" the boy asked in an annoyed tone, causing Kakashi to chuckle lightly. In the five years that he watched over Naruto, he was glad that he made the decision of trusting what his sensei's letter said about his son and his sealing abilities instead of what the council said. Seeing that Naruto was waiting for an answer, Kakashi asked his own question.

"And must you always tackle me Naruto-kun?" Kakashi teasingly asked as Naruto pouted, but the boy knew it was just part of the act. "Now then, I believe that Hokage-sama has requested your presence, so let's say that we get you over there, hm?" he asked as he went back into ANBU mode. Naruto nodded lightly before Kakashi put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and gripped it firmly before both vanished into the morning air. The only evidence that they were there at all were just a few leaves that fluttered innocently down to the wooden floor where the lady angrily swept them up, muttering about demon boys and messy high-ranked shinobi.

* * *

"I can't believe how huge this girl's Ideya of Knowledge is. We should have drained at least two from her by now," Reala said in surprise, absorbing some of the Dream Energy into his body.

"It is quite surprising, I'll agree," Nights started to say before he saw what Reala was doing and commented on it. "I don't see why you're absorbing energy for yourself though. It's not as if anyone will challenge us here," he finished as Reala chuckled lightly and explained that one could never be to cautious or prepared. Nights just shook his head at that.

"Still, I'm surprised to see a girl like her having so much knowledge. You would think that by being friends with that blonde-haired girl we siphoned from earlier that she wouldn't be as smart," Reala said before stopping the flow coming from the sleeping pinkette. However, he also noticed a red glow forming around her as well and cursed. "That damn Ideya…with her? Impossible. She'd rather hide behind her friends from what I've glimpsed of her."

"What is this Ideya?" Nights asked angrily. "We can't touch it, and it burns us if we even try," he continued on, still angry at all of this. It had been five years since they first saw the red-colored Ideya and yet they still found no way to be able to harness its power, unlike the other colors of Ideya: blue, yellow, green and white. Deciding to cut their losses, they went searching for another Dreamer to siphon energy from before seeing a black bubble, flying towards it. Usually only the vilest of Dreamers had a Dream Bubble such as this, and when they looked inside, they saw a lab full of half-bodies and several other inhumane things. It looked as if whoever this person was was in a lab of some sort and muttering to himself. Beakers and shelves full of human eyes, lips, ears…you name it, it was there.

"…Whoever this human is, I like him or her already," Reala said as he muttered, lightly whistling in the process.

Nights chuckled lightly as the bubble started fading around them and they exited as the human woke up. They would have to look for this person again the next time he or she slept, seeing as how easy it would be to take this person's Ideya.

* * *

"And that's all my source gave me sensei. If I get any more info, I'll let you know," Jiraiya said before he sensed a shushin coming. Shifting to the left, he noticed an ANBU member with a dog-faced mask. However, what caught his interest was the little boy that he was with. Seeing the blonde-haired boy, he gasped lightly, causing the boy to look at him curiously.

"Jiji, who is he?" Naruto asked as he pointed towards Jiraiya, causing Kakashi to chuckle lightly, waiting to see how the Hokage would answer, especially since he knew that Jiraiya was named as the boy's godfather. Keeping silent, Kakashi watched as the Hokage explained that he was just a friend and about to leave. Jiraiya looked at the old man with a surprised look, but noticed the look in his sensei's eyes that said he would explain things later. Naruto's eyes then went towards the Hokage before he started speaking. "Inu-kun said you wanted to speak to me Jiji?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya chuckled at the name before leaving as ordered.

"I did Naruto-kun. I wanted to know what you thought about someone adopting you," the Hokage asked as Kakashi raised an eyebrow, even if his ANBU mask hid it. He knew that Sarutobi put Naruto into the orphanage since he didn't want any one clan to have more power than the others, or use Naruto for their own agendas. Sarutobi had an idea of what was going through Kakashi's mind and shook his head at the hidden message. Sarutobi wasn't surprised when the young boy looked at him with big eyes and hope within them.

"Who?!" Naruto quickly asked, as Kakashi also wondered about the answer to that question. The answer that he would receive would shock him to the core and make him question the Hokage's decision.

"They asked me not to say," Sarutobi said. While Naruto frowned at that, he took it at face value, knowing that some people wanted to keep their secrecy after all. However, Kakashi did not, but he would wait until Naruto left to ask Sarutobi about who wanted to adopt his younger brother in all but blood. If he did not like the answer, then he would have to do something drastic in order to protect him.

"Why don't you go and get packed Naru-kun?" Kakashi asked after a while, causing Naruto to look at him. Naruto asked if he was coming with him, but the older shinobi reluctantly told him that he had a few things to discuss with the Hokage.

"Are you sure I can't stay?" Naruto asked, to which Kakashi shook his head in the negative.

"Sorry little guy, but this is about important shinobi business," he said as he ruffled Naruto's hair. "Besides, this stuff is boring. You'll be going crazy and wanting to get out of here in the first five seconds. Go ahead, head back to the orphanage and get packed. I'm sure your girlfriend will be happy to see and hear that you're leaving."

"She's not my girlfriend," He quickly replied, causing a laugh from both Kakashi and the old man. Seeing that they weren't going to start talking without him there, Naruto sighed and left. After making sure that the boy left, Kakashi turned to the Hokage. Asking for permission to speak freely, and getting it, Kakashi asked just who wanted to adopt Naruto.

Sarutobi stared at Kakashi for a few seconds before he asked the ANBU Captain to remove his mask. Once he did, Sarutobi sighed. "I owe you the truth Kakashi. Mitarashi Anko and Morino Ibiki have both asked me personally if they could adopt Naruto." This caused Kakashi to look at the Hokage with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't get the wrong idea Hokage-sama, but…have you gone senile? Mitarashi Anko and Morino Ibiki are not the best people as role models for a young boy such as Naruto."

"I have not gone senile Kakashi, but I am putting Naruto's best interests at heart. I know those two may not be the best people to look after our blonde friend, but I know that they have good hearts," Sarutobi said before being interrupted by Kakashi.

"Or blowing everything sky high. Besides, how do you know they wouldn't be at each other's throats? I know Anko and Ibiki get along great, but Naruto doesn't know either one of them, nor of their reputations. Speaking of which…what do you think their personalities would do to Naruto? Do you want a mini Anko or Ibiki around?" Kakashi asked as he took a quick breath before continuing. "Also…why now? Why after five years of torture are you actually finding someone for Naruto?" Kakashi added. He would have also asked why he wasn't put on the list of potential adopters for Naruto, but they had that conversation one too many times in the past.

Sarutobi listened patiently as his ANBU operative asked his questions. Once he was done, he focused his gaze onto Kakashi and started to speak. "I, unfortunately, do not know how they will react to each other, but it is my hope that they will get along as soon as they meet each other due to their common backgrounds. As for the five years...I wanted to see if some people in this village could raise above their hatred for the Kyuubi and see Naruto as himself, a boy who needed someone's love." "Then if I may, could I suggest a more sane solution to his problem?" He asked as Sarutobi motioned for him to continue.

* * *

Naruto walked down the streets with a smile on his face and nothing the villagers said or did could strip it from him. He was a little curious as to who wanted to adopt him though. Then again, he didn't worry about it all that much. He was just happy that someone was finally going to adopt him. Heading pass the park, he saw a few kids his age running around and having a good time. He was going to avoid it as he usually did since it only reminded him that he was parentless. Not only did it bring up sad thoughts, but he also knew that everyone would slowly start leaving the park, leaving him the only one there until he left. However, today would be different as he saw a small amount of what looked like pink hair. He would have kept going but he then heard something. Naruto wasn't sure what was said, but whatever it was, made the pink-haired person run faster. Making up his mind, Naruto headed into the park, intent on helping if he could.

* * *

Sakura was running. She didn't know why the girls were picking on her, but she wasn't just going to stand there and take it. Just because her mother was part of the civilian council, it didn't mean she had the same views as her mother, which were what Ami and the other girls were saying. Of course, after she spoke out like that, the band of girls started throwing insults at her: the length of her hair, the size of her forehead and things like that. However, when Sakura started retorting, Ami got mad and pushed her. Sakura retaliated and the band of girls were now racing after her, trying to catch Sakura, and then take out their frustration on the pink-haired girl.

"Come back here Forehead-girl!" one of the girls shouted as they chased Sakura through the forest adjacent to the park. Once entering the forest, Sakura pushed onwards, hearing how close they were and kept running. Her eyes were peeled to the ground beneath her so that she wouldn't trip over any lose debris. However, what she didn't account on was the blonde-haired boy that ran into her, causing both to fall flat on their asses.

"Ow…" both Naruto and Sakura said at the same time, mirroring the same action as well when both rubbed their heads. After that was done, Sakura looked at Naruto with annoyance in her eyes. However, this gave the girls that were chasing Sakura enough time to catch up with her.

"Well well well, look what we have here girls, an upstart and the fox boy. Don't you think they make a cute couple?" Ami asked mockingly, causing the girls that followed her to laugh lightly. Sakura tried moving backwards, but being so close to Naruto prevented her from doing so. Before she could do anything, she felt the boy push her behind him before glaring at the four girls. He didn't know what he said, but whatever it was, it caused all four girls to flee quickly from both Naruto and Sakura.

After the girls left, Sakura quickly pushed herself away from Naruto. She knew through her mother that he was a troublemaker of the worst kind, or at least, that's what she thought. The fact that other people said he was a big prankster didn't help matters either. "I didn't ask for your help," she said quickly and walked away, not even bothering to hear his response.

* * *

Nights looked at the dream sphere in curiosity as it's color intrigued the Nightmaren. Usually a dream sphere came in three colors: White for a completely pure soul, Black for a completely corrupt soul and grey for those who were neither completely pure nor corrupt. However, the sphere in front of him was none of these colors; it was a deep crimson and he could not head inside it, just as he couldn't touch the Ideya of the same color.

"What secrets do you hide…," he muttered to himself as he looked around the sphere for a weakness, yet finding none. Scowling lightly, he finally gave up on the sphere after a few minutes of searching and headed towards a different sphere. Immersing himself into the sphere, he came upon the scene of a girl with identical buns in her hair, laughter coming from her mouth. She was sitting next to a boy with sunny blonde hair, as it appeared she was listening to the boy next to her, but the words were lost to the purple jester. He watched the scene with a scowl on his face before he made his way closer to the female whose dream he entered. The only reason Nights knew that this girl was the Dreamer was the fact that she was the only one in the dream who had shimmering energy around her. He also saw a white spherical gem hovering around her body as well, which caused Nights to gasp in surprise.

"An Ideya of Purity…and it's a perfect gem," Nights breathed out, witnessing the rare event in front of him. An Ideya Gem in the open was considered extremely rare especially since it was only when the person had complete synchronization with that Ideya's attribute. As he went to grab it and add it to his collection of dream energy, another Ideya gemstone launched itself out of Tenten's body, knocking Nights back. Looking at the offending object, Nights stared at it in shock: an Ideya of Courage attacked him. _Interesting…_ the Nightmaren thought as he tried getting close to either Ideya, but the Ideya of Courage was tracking his every movement. Frowning lightly at the development, he left the dream. As he left, he wondered just how the Ideya of Courage could come out like that…however, what he didn't know was that by leaving the way he did, he would create a gateway for the girl to cross into the realm of Nightopia.

* * *

"Hm…she does seem like a possible choice Kakashi. Why don't you get her and Anko-san, while I summon Ibiki-san," Sarutobi asked as Kakashi nodded. He was just hoping that he didn't put empty hope on naming Yuuhi Kurenai as an alternative option for adopting Naruto after five years of being abused the way he was. He couldn't believe the several attempts on the boy's life…only because he was alive. _Is this what you wanted Minato-sensei? Your people are spitting on your final wish_ he thought to himself before he put his mask back on and vanished from the room with a simple Shunshin. Sarutobi brought a hand to his temples and rubbed them lightly, just knowing that there was going to be at least somewhat of an argument between the three Jounin before motioning for one of his ANBU to collect Morino Ibiki. He then opened a desk drawer on his right, pulled out a fresh pipe, and used a small Katon jutsu to ignite the tobacco within it, knowing that he would need the aroma to calm himself down, both before and after the meeting.

* * *

Kakashi was heading towards the hot springs first before heading to one of the bars to see if he could find Kurenai there. His reasoning for these two places was simple: if she wasn't enjoying the hot springs, then she was with Anko. He shook his head at the thought of Anko being responsible for his younger brother. While he had nothing against Anko, or what she did, he did have a concern that Naruto would take after her, which scared him just a little bit. Hearing his stomach start to grumble due to him not eating before fetching Naruto, he headed towards the nearest food stand.

After getting his food from the owner, he started eating at a rapid pace, but not so fast that it would be called rude. However, while he was eating, he didn't sense or see the two females heading into the food stand until one of the ladies talked.

"Anko, we've eaten here for the past week…don't you eat anything else besides Dango?" a black-haired female asked her partner as her partner shrugged lightly. Kakashi noticed Anko's name and looked up for a few minutes before his eye widened in surprise. Who would have thought that the two people he was looking for would show up here of all places? He sighed lightly as he saw the two females come sit next to him. Once he saw that they ordered, he started talking to them and explained the situation. He thought he would have to ask and plead for Kurenai to think about it or Anko to not adopt him, but he didn't have to do either.

"As much as Ibiki-kun and I want to adopt him Ero-senpai," here Anko paused to see the look of annoyance pass through his one eye, she then continued, "we thought about it before realizing that we have too much of a demanding schedule to take on Naruto. At best, we'll be just like the ANBU that protect him everyday…he doesn't need that in a guardian." She finished as she looked towards her friend, Kurenai. The only reason she felt it was in better interest for Naruto was the fact that she knew her best friend would be there for Naruto if he needed her. She also knew that Kurenai was accustomed to the stares she received for being associated with the 'Snake Whore,' and it would only get worse if she were to adopt the young boy.

"I…don't know Anko, Kakashi-san," Kurenai started out. While still only a Chunin, she wasn't sure just how she would respond to children. Not only was that one of her worries, but she was unsure just how she would be able to afford looking after a child as young as Naruto. Kurenai told both of them these fears, hoping that they wouldn't laugh at her for her insecurities.

"Nonsense Kure-chan," Anko said before she continued. "If you can put up with me, then you can certainly take care of a child. Besides, I'm here if you need any help. It's the least I can do," Anko said as Kurenai rolled her eyes.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Kurenai said, which Anko ignored as she thought of all the fun she'd have in training the gaki, letting a small evil laugh out that sounded eerily similar to her traitorous mentor. Kakashi was looking at Anko with his eye wide open. _This is the person that Hokage-sama wanted for my Otouto? _Kakashi asked himself skeptically. Once the laughter died down, the two kunoichi noticed that Kakashi had already left, leaving a note to show up at the Hokage Tower two hours from now. As the two kunoichi finished, the owner handed him their bill, as well as Kakashi's. When they saw the amount that he owed the shop, only one word passed through their lips.

"KAKASHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

* * *

Naruto was walking, but if you knew the boy, you could tell he was trying to contain his happiness, even after what happened earlier in the park. Especially since there was a genuine smile on his face with nothing that the villagers did or said to him could make it vanish. He wanted to run back to the orphanage with the good news, but he made himself walk so he didn't bring any suspicion on himself. The only thing that happened to him on the way back were people calling him the usual names and slurs, but he paid little heed to them and didn't allow them to stop his happy moment. Soon, he was at the door of the Orphanage. Taking a breath to calm himself, he put his hand on the door handle before turning and heading into the building.

Closing the door behind him, he noticed the chaos that was usually the case when there was nobody up for adoption. Carefully navigating through the area infested with toys of various ages, he headed to his room in order to pack. However, what he didn't notice as he made his way to his room was the fact that Tenten noticed his unusual good mood and made her way towards him. Once near the door, Tenten knocked on it. Hearing a faint voice to come in, she did so. "Naruto?"

"Yeah Ten-chan?" Naruto asked, still focused on the task of placing his clothes and personal belongings into a bag. To anyone else, the several things that he was placing with his clothes were junk, but to Naruto, they were precious mementos given to him by the Hokage, Tenten or Inu-san. As he finished packing, he turned towards her.

"You seem unusually happy today, Naru. Something good happen?" She asked as Naruto nodded, with the grin still on his face.

"I'm getting out of this place Ten-chan; someone is going to adopt me!" He exclaimed happily, noticing a slight frown on Tenten's face. Before he could ask about it, it vanished as several other emotions played across his friend's face: happiness, anger, sorrow, and finally, surprise. He was confused as to why she would be angry with him for leaving, and asked her about it.

"It's nothing," she quickly responded, causing the blonde-haired boy to raise an eyebrow at that.

"Come on Ten-chan, we're friends. You can tell me," he persisted and before Tenten could repeat that it was nothing, he continued. "And if you don't, you know I'll just annoy you until you cave in and tell me." Tenten looked at him for a few minutes before sighing, knowing that he was right.

"You'll laugh…" she started saying before Naruto shook his head.

"No I won't. Promise."

"Alright…," she started before looking down at her feet. Naruto waited for her to speak, not forcing her to do anything and go at her own speed, even if he was curious. "You're my only friend here, and I'm going to miss you Naru-kun," Tenten finally said after a few minutes of silence went by.

"What about the other girls I've seen you hanging around with Ten-chan? I thought they were your friends…" Naruto asked as Tenten shook her head in the negative.

"Those girls aren't true friends…true I hang out with them, but…" Tenten started to say as Naruto nodded, understanding what she was trying to say. It wasn't the same and he said as such, causing Tenten to nod. "I try hanging out with them, honestly I do, but…they don't like the same things I do, or want to talk about the same things we talk about. Can't you stay?"

"I wish I could, but I can't. You know that Ten-chan," Naruto said to Tenten before she left the room, slamming the door behind her in childish anger. Seeing that he was all alone, Naruto growled lightly, thinking that Tenten would be happy for him. He knew that Tenten was going to miss him, but he didn't realize that she depended on him for so much. Scowling lightly at the way his friend acted, and the way he acted himself, he didn't recognize the small amount of tears that were coming down his face.

* * *

Tenten refused to let the tears come until she was in the privacy of the room given to her. Stomping to her room in anger and a small amount of depression, she slammed the door shut and sat on her bed, the tears falling quickly thereafter. Going over the conversation again in her mind, she tried blocking out what Naruto said…and the tone in which he said it. She knew what she said sounded selfish once she had time to think about it, but at the time she said it…she meant every word. She wanted Naruto to stay.

"Tenten, are you alright?" She heard one of the matrons ask after knocking on the door. Feeling like venting, she reached up and grabbed the pillow on her bed before throwing it at the door. Making a soft thunk-like sound, she smiled a little when she heard the matron walk away. Tenten knew that she was only trying to help, but the girl just wanted to be left alone for a little while. Sighing lightly, she fell back on the bed, quickly succumbing to sleep due to mental exhaustion. A few minutes later, she started to toss and turn in her sleep, assaulted by the images her mind was presenting her.

Tenten was enjoying her dream for the first few minutes of it. From the looks of the dream, both Naruto and herself were older and they were out on what seemed to be a date. As the dream continued, Tenten watched her future self and Naruto do things that surprised her before ending up on the Fourth Hokage's head on the Hokage's Monument. Naruto had somehow prepared a dinner for the two of them and laid it out on a blanket. Tenten saw Naruto talking to her for a few seconds and saw him getting closer to her future self. Anticipating the kiss, Tenten watched with a grin on her face. However, before the kiss happened, Naruto smirked before vanishing, causing her future self to fall onto the blanket. Getting up, both Tentens looked around for the blonde, only to see him gone.

Turning around, Tenten saw the future Naruto standing next to a female with blonde hair. She didn't know who it was, but she saw her future self glaring at the female. Before her future self could get up, she saw Naruto kiss the blonde-haired girl causing tears to form on both females: the one who was dreaming this and the one who was witnessing it. However, while the scene hurt them, what he said next devastated the girl. "You never had me Ten-chan…you thought I was your friend for all these years, ever since we met in that orphanage, no?" he asked. Before Tenten could do anything, he continued. "That was a lie. It went well with my mask, don't you think? Then again, how can anyone like you? You're a tomboy…always have been and most likely always will and that's the first thing wrong with you," Naruto finished as tears started falling down Tenten's face, both dream-wise and real.

"No…" Tenten whispered as she watched her dream-self turn away from the sight. The girl wanted to follow and turn away from the sight as well, but she couldn't. It was as if something was making her head unable to turn away from the scene, and it sickened her. "Naru-kun would never…" she started saying to herself in a whisper. Even if she knew the scene before her was a dream; it still felt very real, and Tenten was trying to convince herself that this was only a dream. However, while she was doing this, she didn't see the shadows coming from the trees or the shapes that they were becoming. Soon, the shadows grew eyes and snouts as other pieces of wolves came together…including their demonic-looking eyes. Nevertheless, they weren't looking at the Tenten that was downcast and depressed from what her boyfriend said…they were looking at the spirit of the young girl who would most likely become the young woman in the dream.

Passing through the dream version of Tenten, the real Tenten realized that the wolves were after her and started running. She didn't understand why they were after her when this was only a dream, or why she was running if that was the case, but they were and she was. Not realizing that she ran straight off the mountain path and onto straight air, she continued running. Once she stopped running, she noticed that she wasn't in her dream anymore. _Where am I?_ Tenten thought to herself as she looked in awe of her new surroundings.

"You're in Nightopia, also known as the World of Dreams," the Tenten from the dream stated, causing the original to turn around quickly.

"How did you know what I was thinking? Who are you?" She asked in anger, turning around to face her future self.

"I knew what you were thinking since I am a figment of your imagination…and if you need to call me something, you can call me Future," the now named Future said, causing Tenten to glare at her. "Furthermore, this is just what you may look like if you continue on the path you are on right now, but if you changed something, like becoming a kunoichi for example," here Future stopped as her form changed shape. She was now wearing a headband of Konoha while also wearing attire befitting of a kunoichi of Konoha for a few seconds before changing back.

"But how did I get to Nightopia?" Tenten asked. "I mean, I know I'm sleeping and all, but shouldn't this just all be a dream?"

"Yes…and no. What do you see in the air above you?" Future asked as Tenten looked around, seeing small clear bubbles in the air. When asked about it, Future told her what they were. "Those are other Dreamers, safe in their…" she started saying before she saw a spec of red in the distance, which caused her to panic just a bit. "You need to get out of here, now," Future said, her tone of voice alarming Tenten, especially since she broke off her explanation of Nightopia.

"But I just got here…"

"I'll explain later, just go!" She said before pushing Tenten through, unknowingly causing the girl to wake up as she turned around to face the red jester that came down to investigate.

"And just what are you doing here…hm?" Reala asked, somehow already knowing this particular person.

* * *

After Tenten left, Naruto growled lightly at his suitcase. A few seconds ago, he was glad to be leaving this dump of an orphanage, but now he wanted to stay more than ever. He knew that his suitcase wasn't at fault for his crappy feelings, but it did symbolize what he was angry about.

_I need to get out of here,_ Naruto thought to himself as he silently opened the window in his room and climbed down, making sure that no one saw or heard him. Naruto knew that if he tried going out the normal way, he would have seen a party for his departure while also hearing phrases such as "good riddance demon brat," among other similar phrases. Usually, he would just fake a smile and go through the crowd, but today he didn't want to put up with any of that. He just wanted to blow off some steam.

After a few minutes of walking, Naruto finally came to a secluded place. Here, no one would bother him and that suited the boy just fine at the moment. Most people didn't know it, but there was a grotto behind the Hokage Mountain. Naruto didn't go here often, but if the boy wanted to be undisturbed for a few hours, this was where he would go.

Spotting the tree that had a few blood spots and dents on it; Naruto headed towards it and let his anger and frustrations out as he continued to beat on the tree. He may not have had any practice throwing a punch or a kick, but that didn't stop the angered youth.

After finally calming down, Naruto laid back on the grass beneath him as exhaustion took over. Combined with what happened earlier with Tenten, it was no wonder why the boy was so tired, both physically and mentally. Once he opened his eyes however, he noticed that he was now in a dank sewer. _The hell?_ Naruto asked himself, confused. Seeing a dim light off in the distance, he headed towards it out of curiosity while ignoring the water that reached to his ankles. Keeping the light in his vision, he navigated through the maze of sewers before coming to an open room devoid of all the water that he tread through to get here. Once passing through the opening into the room, he felt the water inside his shoes instantly disappear, along with the feeling of being wet. _What's going on?!_ He thought to himself as he walked to the center of the area, his steps echoing in the empty room. If he looked down at the floor, he would notice a strange symbol starting at the middle of the room and then branching out to each of the different doors.

Just as he was about to inspect the room in front of him, he felt someone shaking him. Trying to shake the feeling off and go further into the room, he continuously ignored the feeling…or tried. Just as he got to the center of the room, his body finally woke up to see someone he didn't know, nor recognize. Instantly his body reacted as his feet pushed him away from the female. "Who are you?" Naruto shouted once he had control of his body. Looking at the female in front of him, he noticed that she had black hair that flowed freely down her back. He also noticed the red eyes when she shook him awake and marked it as a question for later, not entirely sure as to what was going on.

The female didn't want to give her real name to Naruto just yet, but did answer his question. "I'm a friend of Inu-san's," she said while looking at how Naruto took the news. Seeing that he relaxed a little, she smiled just a bit but also noticed that he was still guarding himself.

_What did the village do to him…and why did he never say anything about it?_ She asked herself as she analyzed Naruto's actions. However, while she was doing this, she missed Naruto's next question. Coming out of her thinking, the black-haired female noticed that Naruto was staring at her, expecting an answer. "Sorry…did you say something?"

"I did. How do you know about this place? And you never really answered my question from earlier," Naruto said as he repeated his question.

"Sarutobi-sama told me about this place a long time ago, back when I was helping a close friend of mine," she said with a small amount of sadness in her voice. No matter how long ago it was, she still saw that time as one of her greatest failures. "May I ask why it's important for you to know my name?" Kurenai asked in curiosity. She would give it to him eventually, but she was curious as to why he wanted to know in the first place.

"I want to call you something other than 'Inu's friend,'" Naruto replied. He was surprised that she was still staying, friend of Inu or not. He knew that most people didn't even want to bother with him…so why was she? As the silence dragged on, he noticed that it was getting late. As he was about to get up, he heard a sound coming from the woman's lips. "Huh?" he asked unintelligently.

"It's my name: Kurenai," she responded. Seeing the small smile appear on the boy's face, she couldn't help but mirror it with a smile of her own.

After a few minutes, Naruto sighed lightly as he sat back down on the grass thinking about what happened before Kurenai woke him up. He knew that he was in a sewer, or something like a sewer, but the area that the water and pipes converged to had him confused. _Just what was all of that anyways?_ Naruto asked himself, knowing for sure that it wasn't any sort of dream…it felt excessively real to be considered a dream or nightmare. Naruto didn't realize the frown that was materializing onto his face and was brought out of his musings once Kurenai asked him what was wrong. "What do you mean?"

"Usually only unpleasant events bring a frown to someone's face Naruto-san," she explained. Naruto shrugged lightly. "I'll listen, if you want to talk about it," Kurenai said, not pushing the boy to explain what was bothering him, but at the same time, offering him a chance to talk.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that suggestion. It was only a few minutes ago that he met this woman. Sitting up, he shrugged his shoulders lightly. He didn't feel like explaining his problems with this woman, especially when it was his problem in the first place. "I'll keep that in mind Kurenai-san, but I'd like to work on it myself first, if you don't mind," he said before getting up.

Kurenai watched Naruto leave the area before she lifted herself from the ground, brushing off some dirt from the back of her clothes. It would definitely be a surprise for the young Naruto when they both met up at the Hokage Tower later…_oh crap!_ She thought to herself, completely forgetting about the meeting that Kakashi told Anko and herself about. Hoping that she wasn't late, or too late, she quickly used Shushin to get towards the Hokage Tower.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late…" Kurenai started to say as she entered the Hokage's office with a well placed Shushin that was right next to Anko. While she was getting her bearings straight she noticed that Kakashi wasn't there as of yet and quieted herself.

"It's alright Kure-chan, you aren't late. Unlike a certain pervert that is…" Anko spoke up as Kakashi appeared a few seconds later with a grizzly of a man next to him. Kurenai assumed that this was Ibiki from the descriptions that her friend gave her.

"Now that everyone is finally here," Sarutobi started, staring at Kakashi as he said this part, "why don't we get started. I believe we are to talk about the life of one Uzumaki Naruto and how his life will change starting tomorrow, correct?" he asked as all of them nodded in consent.

* * *

Naruto entered the main room of the Orphanage and scouted the room for a few seconds, wanting to talk to Tenten. He wasn't sure what he did wrong and wanted to ask so that he could apologize. It wouldn't feel right to make right whatever it is that happened between them before. Seeing that she wasn't in the area, he sighed lightly before heading down a hallway and to where her room was. Stopping in front of her door, he took a quick breath and stopped for a second, wondering what to say to her so that she would explain exactly what he did wrong and made her angry. He shrugged mentally to himself before taking a small breath and then knocking on the door. "Tenten?" He asked, opting to use her full name in case she was still angry with him.

Tenten opened the door, her eyes slightly red from the tears that she cried before the whole thing with Nightopia. She considered telling Naruto about it, but decided against it. Even to her the idea of being awake while in a dream seemed strange.

"I wanted to know what I did wrong…what I did to make you angry at me," he said in a soft voice, hoping not to anger one of the few friends he had. The softness of Naruto's voice surprised Tenten. Since it was a matter between herself and Naruto, Tenten pulled the young boy into her room before shutting the door. It wasn't foolproof to keep unwanted ears out, but it was the principle of the matter.

"You're leaving me here…all alone," Tenten replied, baffling Naruto. How would his absence from the orphanage cause her to be all alone? Staring at her in silence for a few seconds, Tenten continued, "Also…I'm scared," she started to say as Naruto refocused his attention on her. "I know how people act towards you: the stares, glares… everything."

Naruto understood now what was frightening his friend. She thought that if he left, she would become the scapegoat for whatever happened around here, just like him. And without him there…he didn't want to think of the consequences, nor did he have any idea of how to help her out or any words that would comfort her fears. He would have said something but just as he was about to, a voice came through the door as one of the staff members told them that it was time for bed. Knowing that they had to sleep in their own rooms as was one of the rules there, Naruto got off Tenten's bed before saying good night, the girl's words still running through Naruto's mind as he made his way towards his own room.

* * *

Naruto once again awoke with a silent scream as his nightmare happened yet again…although this time it seemed a little different. It seemed as if someone, or something, was trying to grab him. The only thing that he remembered was the silhouette of what appeared to be a woman. However, the strange thing was that she was making a grabbing motion towards him with something that looked like clawed hands covered in a brownish-red fur…

_Who or what was that?_ Naruto thought to himself, adding it to the mysterious sewer-like place he was in before Kurenai woke him up. Remembering Kurenai's name made him also remember that someone was going to adopt him today, which also made him frown slightly. He had a gut feeling that once the doors swung shut on his retreating form that he would be permanently banned from putting one foot into the Orphanage ever again.

_**You could always suggest young Tenten to be adopted with you**_, a voice said as Naruto nodded, liking the idea. Due to him still being half-asleep, he wasn't questioning just where the voice came from. However, the idea was there and now stuck in Naruto's head. Although now that Naruto was fully awake, the boy knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep anytime soon and silently got off the bed.

* * *

A hand shot out and slammed the alarm clock onto the floor, effectively shutting it off…permanently. _Ugh…is it morning already? _The owner asked herself as she slowly opened her eyes and blinked the sleep away from them. As her crimson eyes adjusted to the sunlight that entered the room through the windows, the woman stretched in order to get the kinks out of her body. Let it be said that Yuuhi Kurenai was not a morning person.

After a few more minutes of lying in her bed, Kurenai remembered what today was and started getting up. Taking a quick shower, the female Chunin got dressed before heading out the door, using one of the genjutsu she created over the years over the doorknob to her place before using a Shushin to head over to the Hokage Tower. Once there she noticed that Kakashi was there with his ANBU mask on.

"Inu-san?" Kurenai asked, curious as to why he was out here and silently asked him to explain.

"Naru-kun wanted to talk to Hokage-sama about something. I think it was to get his opinion on something, although I have no clue as to what," Kakashi explained before knocking on the door in order to get both Naruto and Sarutobi's attention. Hearing the words 'Come in' from the elderly leader of Konohagakure, Kakashi opened the door and let Kurenai enter first before closing the door behind him.

"You're the one who wants to adopt me?!" Naruto asked in surprise as he pointed to the only female in the room. Getting a small nod from Kurenai, Naruto was glad to see that it was the mysterious woman who he talked to the day before that was going to adopt him and not some random person off the streets. Turning to the Hokage and seeing the old man nod, Naruto inhaled a small breath before exhaling it lightly in a rare sight of his nervousness. "Kurenai-san…I know that you're risking a lot by adopting me, but can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead Naruto-kun," she said, prompting him to continue.

"Could you also adopt Tenten?" He asked, getting a look of surprise from the crimson-eyed woman. She looked at Naruto, noticing that he was silently pleading for her to agree, but the woman wasn't one hundred percent sure, especially since she didn't know if she had the room for two children.

"Well…"

* * *

Dragon and Sword Master: And that's it for the second chapter. Unfortunately, I do not know when the third chapter will be coming out as I am quite busy, so please no death threats, flames, or pitchforks, okay? Now that has been said, I want to take notice of something. I don't know if most people watched it, but there was a show called Awake on NBC, which I would like to take a few minutes to talk about.

Yugito: *gets him a box to stand on*

Dragon and Sword Master: Thank you Neko-hime. Now then, while I'm on my soapbox…I'd like to get this off my chest since the show has not been scheduled for a second season, so readers, please bear with me for a moment.

Isn't it strange that while this game came out in 1996, a T.V. series just ended that is somewhat similar to this in 2012: being awake within a dream, or a dream within a dream. That is what Awake was to me. I'm still a little confused about the ending of the whole show, and I think that a second season would have answered the questions that the last few seconds of the final episode left unanswered. Anyone know what I mean?

Yugito: So…what do you think about the final moments of the show Ryu-kun?

Dragon and Sword Master: Honestly…I'm not sure. It seems to me that both were a dream and that he finally woke up to where both his wife and son were alive. However, he had to come to the conclusion that he was dreaming that both his wife and son were dead in two separate realms…although he came to the conclusion (in my opinion subconsciously) that his wife and that world were an illusion first. This at first made the viewers think that the world where his son lived was the original/real world, but then he asks "What if…" which causes the female therapist to stop talking and a door to open.

Britten (protagonist) walks through it and sees both of them (wife and son) looking at him as if he finally woke up from a very long dream (and the statements that both the son and wife make help this theory as well).

Anyways, I'm sorry about the rant. Just wishing that a good series continued, but that is my opinion. If you enjoyed this chapter, can you take a few minutes to type something below? It would definitely make my day to see a new e-mail in my inbox saying "Review Alert for Blood and Dreams: Eternal Nightmares"

Thank you.

Dragon and Sword Master


End file.
